President Donald Trump on Saturday delivered his first commencement address at Liberty University, the Christian school whose leader was among his most vocal supporters.

In his address to the nation earlier this week, Trump said he was "delighted to be participating first hand in the excitement" as students and faculty celebrate the college's more than 18,000 graduates.

Advertisement

"You are about the begin the greatest adventure of your life," the president told graduates. "Ask yourself, with...all the blessings that you've been given, what will you give back to this country, and to the world? What imprint will you leave in the sands of history?"

The private, nonprofit Lynchburg, Virginia school was founded in 1971 and is the largest evangelical Christian university in the world.

"Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy," Trump told the crowd. "Following your convictions means that you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack courage to do what is right...it's called the road less traveled."

Trump kept to a largely upbeat message during the roughly 30-minute speech, never mentioning his stunning decision this past week to remove James Comey as FBI director. Trump said Comey is a "showboat" and "grandstander" who was fired because he wasn't doing a good job.

Trump said Saturday that he could name a new director by Friday, when he departs on his first foreign trip as president to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy and Belgium. Justice Department officials began interviewing candidates in Washington on Saturday.

Drawing parallels to what was widely viewed as a longshot presidential bid by Trump, who had never held elective office before winning the November election, Trump urged the graduates to never stop fighting for what they believe in.

"Remember this: Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy," he said. Tens of thousands of people packed an on-campus stadium to welcome Trump, the second sitting president to address the university's commencement ceremony, with applause and a standing ovation.

"Did we take risks? Did we dare to defy expectations? Did we challenge accepted wisdom and take on established systems?" Trump asked the newly-graduated students. "Or did we just go along with convention, swim downstream, so easily with the current, and give in because it was the easy way?"

Trump advised students to follow their dreams and ignore critics.

"No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sidelines, saying it could never be done," he said. "The future belongs to the dreamers, not to the critics...never, ever give up."

Trump is scheduled to address graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday.